1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle backward movement assisting apparatus for in-line parking, and more particularly to a device for superimposedly displaying indication for assisting the steering wheel operation during in-line parking operation on a monitor screen on which a rear view of a vehicle is imaged.
2. Description of the Related Art
Conventionally, an apparatus has been proposed which displays a rear side view of a vehicle on a monitor in the case where the target place is out of sight from a driver due to the dead angle of the vehicle when the vehicle reverses. For example, Japanese Patent Examined Publication No. 2-36417 discloses a rear view monitoring apparatus for a vehicle which comprises a television camera for picking up a rear view of the vehicle, a monitor television set for imaging an image picked up by the camera, a sensor for outputting an information signal related to a tire steering angle and a circuit for generating a marker signal in response to the information signal from this sensor and superimposing the marker on the television image field. In this apparatus, the tire steering angle data and the marker position data along the reverse direction of the vehicle corresponding to its steering angle are stored in a ROM, and a predicted reverse locus of the vehicle in correspondence with the steering angle at that time is superimposed and displayed on the image picked up by the television camera on the television view field as a row of the markers.
According to such an apparatus, since the predicted reverse locus of the vehicle in correspondence with the steering angle together with the view field of the conditions of the road on the rear side is shown on the image field of the monitor television when the vehicle reverses, the driver may reverse the vehicle by manipulating the steering wheel while watching the television image field without looking back.
In the case where the vehicle is to be parked in line, for example, the vehicle is reversed in parallel with a road, the vehicle is entered into a parking space by operating the steering wheel at a suitable position, and the vehicle is guided into the target parking position by turning the steering wheel in the reverse direction. However, in the conventional rear view monitoring apparatus, only with the driver viewing the predicted reverse locus of the vehicle and the rear view field on the television image field, it is difficult for the driver to judge where the steering wheel should start to be operated, where the steering wheel should be turned and how much the steering wheel steering amount should be selected. Thus, it is impossible to sufficiently assist the driver for the suitable in-line parking in the conventional rear view monitoring apparatus.
The present invention has been made to solve the above problem with the prior art, and therefore an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle backward movement assisting apparatus for in-line parking operation which is capable of readily grasping a steering timing and a steering amount when a driver conducts an in-line parking.
According to the present invention, there is provided a vehicle backward movement assisting apparatus for in-line parking comprising: a camera for picking up an image of the rear of a vehicle; a monitor disposed in a driver""s seat of the vehicle, an in-line guide line movement switch disposed in the driver""s seat of the vehicle; a steering angle sensor for detecting a steering angle of a steering wheel; and display control means for, when the vehicle runs backward, displaying on the monitor an image obtained by the camera and for displaying a guide display for assisting the drive of the vehicle in the in-line parking operation on a screen of the monitor in a superimposing manner, the guide display including: at least one in-line guide line displayed movavly on the screen of the monitor in accordance with the manipulation of the in-line guide line movement switch; a vehicle space mark displayed movavly along the in-line guide line of the screen of the monitor in accordance with the steering angle of the steering wheel detected by the steering angle sensor; and an eye mark fixedly displayed at a given position of the screen of the monitor for guiding an opposite turn point of the steering wheel.
The image of the rear of the vehicle picked up by the camera when the vehicle runs backward is displayed on the monitor, and the in-line guide line, the vehicle space mark and the eye mark are displayed on the screen of the monitor as the guide display of the monitor during the in-line parking operation in a superimposing manner. A driver grasps the steering angle corresponding to a first turn in in-line parking on the basis of the in-line guide line displayed movably on the screen of the monitor by the manipulation of the in-line guide line movement switch and the vehicle space mark displayed movably along the in-line guide line on the screen of the monitor in accordance with the steering angle of the steering wheel detected by the steering angle sensor. The driver also grasps the opposite turn point of the steering wheel for a second turn on the basis of the eye mark.